Sheet Thickness
Sheet materials in FRC come in standard thickness increments. These increments strongly affect stiffness, weight, and how parts behave under load.
Common Sheet Thickness Increments
Most sheet materials (aluminum, polycarbonate, plastics) are typically available in:
- 1/16"
- 1/8"
- 3/16"
- 1/4"
- 3/8"
- 1/2"
These standard sizes are what most FRC designs are based on.
How Thickness Affects Strength
1/16"
- Very lightweight
- Low stiffness
- Easily flexes under load
- Best for light covers or non-structural panels
1/8"
- Common general-purpose thickness
- Balanced stiffness and weight
- Good for gussets and light structural plates
3/16"
- Noticeably stiffer than 1/8"
- Better resistance to bending and vibration
- Heavier, used for more loaded structures
1/4"
- High stiffness and strength
- Strong resistance to impact and bending
- Significant weight increase
- Used for structural or high-load plates
3/8"
- Very rigid
- Used in rare high-load or specialized applications
- Often heavier than necessary for most FRC robots
1/2"
- Extremely stiff and strong
- Minimal flex even under high load
- Very heavy for robotics use
- Typically only used for specialty mounts or extreme-load components
Key Strength Idea
Thickness has a non-linear effect on stiffness:
- Small increases in thickness produce large increases in rigidity
- A 1/4" plate is significantly more resistant to bending than a 1/8" plate
This is why most FRC designs stay at:
- 1/8" for light structures
- 3/16" for stronger plates
- Only going thicker when absolutely necessary
Material Interaction
Thickness also depends on material type:
- Aluminum → efficient strength-to-weight
- Polycarbonate → remains flexible even when thick
- Plastics → stiffness depends heavily on reinforcement
- Steel → very strong even at thin sections
Key Idea
Sheet thickness increments determine structural behavior more than most other design choices. In FRC, teams minimize thickness whenever possible and only increase it when load or rigidity demands it.